Texas lawmakers reload campus carry bills

Ben Franklin, right, of Arlington, Texas, carries an 1858 black powder pistol at a rally to support HB 195, which would allow the open carry of handguns with no permitting or background check requirements, at the Capitol, Tuesday, January 13, 2015, in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Jay Janner)

AUSTIN – Campus carry is back with a vengeance this legislative session, and with a huge cadre of Republican state senators co-sponsoring the effort to allow Texans to tote guns on college grounds, the efforts have a better chance of making it through at least one chamber this year.

Senate Bill 11, filed Monday, boasted 19 co-sponsors, exactly the number needed to bring the bill up for debate under new rules the chamber approved last week. The bill would allow any properly licensed Texan to carry their handgun concealed on a college campus.

The bill language expressly states the legislation, if passed, would not allow concealed carry in hospitals that are operated by universities, and would not allow guns at elementary schools.

Similar legislation has been proposed in previous years but failed after heavy opposition, especially from campus leaders. University of Texas Chancellor William McRaven recently came out against the effort.

Last session, a campus carry bill sponsored by Rep. Allen Fletcher, R-Tomball, passed the House and the Senate committee chaired by John Whitmire, D-Houston, but never never had a hearing on the Senate floor.

“No one should be forced to surrender their God-given, constitutional right to self-defense just because they set foot on a college campus,” said Sen. Charles Schwertner, R-Georgetown, one of the bill’s co-sponsors. “I have always been a strong defender of the Second Amendment, and for me, this bill is simply about ensuring that licensed, responsible, and law-abiding adults have the right to protect themselves on the campuses of public colleges and universities.”